A common problem has been the bracing of cargo in a container when the cargo does not completely fill the container. Without being properly braced, any movement of the container can cause the cargo to shift about inside the container thereby causing damage to both the cargo and container.
Often a load of cargo will include items of varying shapes and sizes. Therefore, the brace should be adjustable to effectively secure the cargo to the container regardless of the size, shape, or manner of packing these individual cargo items.
Significant problems are often encountered when transporting goods in the cargo bed of a truck. This cargo may typically include square or rectangular articles such as boxes, cylindrical articles such as barrels or drums, or relatively thin articles such as wood, mattresses, or the like. Sometimes these goods are stacked on top of each other making it difficult to effectively secure them against movement.
Various conventional bracing devices have been disclosed. For example, in U.S. Pat. No 4,343,578 by Barnes, there is disclosed a load stabilizer for a truck; the load stabilizer including a pair of telescoping poles which are held in expanded relation against the sidewalls of the truck bed by a locking assembly.
Additional load bracing devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,678 by Liebel, in which a load retainer which is extended between opposing sidewalls of a container includes screw apparatus for selectively extending the load retainer between the sidewalls; and, U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,394 by Wisecarver, in which a load bracing device includes a pole and an adjustable end foot which is threadably engaged to the pole and which utilizes an adjusting nut for varying the position of the end foot.
In Barber, U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,388 there is disclosed an adjustable brace which is positioned within a roll of material to prevent the roll from collapsing when subjected to a compressive load.
Other bracing devices include U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,627 by Tapley et al, which discloses an adjustable device for shoring walls, roofs and the like during construction or repair; and, U.S. Pat. No. 891,897 by Astrom, which discloses a trench brace for shoring vertical timber and which utilizes a threadably engaged end portion which is adjusted to vary the length of the brace.
Devices which are adjustable in a lengthwise manner to accomplish a safety function are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,263,698 by Hodgson which includes a safety bar which is placed in a transverse manner between the interior sides of an automobile to prevent the occupants from being ejected from their seats; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,891,588 by Claus which discloses a safety bar which is mounted between the sides of a window opening and to which a safety belt or harness may be attached.
Further load bracing devices for railway cars are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,840,927 by Woodruff, in which a holding device having hooks at its opposite ends, is adapted to engage the upper edges of the railway car sidewalls; and, U.S. Pat. No. 969,002 by Teachout, in which a pair of telescoping sections forming a load retainer are adjusted in a lengthwise manner by an adjusting nut to secure the load retainer to the sidewalls of the railway car.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 540,594 by Meres, there is disclosed a horse stall formed by a lengthwise adjustable horizontal beam and a vertical post which is connected to the beam.
These conventional bracing devices share several defects, the most significant defect being their inability to effectively brace loads made up of cargo items of varying sizes and shapes.